Boris Johnson: it looks like P&O Ferries sackings broke law
Boris Johnson has said it looks as though P&O Ferries broke the law when it suddenly sacked 800 workers, and the government will be taking action.
The prime minister said that if the company was found guilty, it could face fines running into the millions.
He made the comments during prime minister’s questions, shortly after the boss of P&O Ferries issued a public apology for the sudden sacking of 800 workers on UK contracts last Thursday.
Pressed on the issue by the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, Johnson said: “We will not sit by, because under section 194 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act of 1992 it looks to me as though the company concerned has broken the law, and we will be taking action, therefore, and we will be encouraging workers themselves to take action under the 1996 Employment Rights Act.”
He added: “If the company is found guilty then they face fines running into millions of pounds, and in addition we will be taking steps to protect all mariners who are working in UK waters and ensure that they are all paid the living wage.”
However, Johnson ruled out taking further action against the Dubai-based owner of P&O Ferries, DP World, which is to benefit from £50m of tax breaks by running two of the government’s new freeports.
Asked by Starmer to “guarantee that these companies will not get a penny more of taxpayers’ money or a single tax break until they reinstate the workforce”, Johnson replied: “We will take them to court, we will defend the rights of British workers. What we will not do is launch a wholehearted campaign as they would want against overseas investments because that is completely wrong, and wrong for those workers.”
Starmer said other workers would fear for their jobs if P&O “got away with it”
Read more on theguardian.com
